Exhibit 99.1

Contact:

Jeffrey J. Carfora, SEVP and CFO

Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation

T: 908-719-4308

PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

REPORTS STRONG FIRST QUARTER RESULTS,

DRIVEN BY

NONINTEREST INCOME TOTALING 36% OF TOTAL REVENUE

Bedminster, N.J. – April 29, 2021 – Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select Market: PGC) (the “Company”) announces its first quarter 2021 results.

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Q1 2021 Investor Update (and Supplemental Financial Information), a copy of which is available on our website at www.pgbank.com and via a current report on Form 8-K on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.  

The Company recorded total revenue of $49.61 million, net income of $13.18 million and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) of $0.67 for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, compared to $46.27 million, $1.37 million and $0.07, respectively, for the same three month period ended March 31, 2020.

The 2021 quarter included increased noninterest income, principally wealth management income and income from capital markets activities (which includes mortgage banking income, loan level back-to-back swap income, SBA loan income, and corporate advisory fee income). The 2021 quarter also included a significantly reduced provision for loan losses when compared to the same quarter last year. The 2021 quarter included a $225,000 provision while the 2020 quarter included a $20.0 million provision, which was due to the environment at that time created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to increased qualitative loss factors when calculating the allowance for loan losses.

The 2021 three-month period also included $1.5 million of severance expense related to certain staff reorganizations within several areas of the Bank.  The 2020 three-month period included a tax benefit of $3.2 million caused by the changes in the treatment of tax net operating losses (“NOL”) under the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.  

As previously disclosed, on January 28, 2021, the Company authorized the repurchase of up to 948,735 shares, or approximately 5% of its outstanding shares. During the first quarter of 2021 the Company purchased 158,033 shares at an average price of $27.71 for a total cost of $4.4 million under this program.

Douglas L. Kennedy, President and CEO, said, “Our capital is strong and we believe that purchasing the Company’s stock is an opportunity for us to effectively manage our excess capital, while taking advantage of the Company’s discounted valuation relative to peers.”

Mr. Kennedy also said, “During the first quarter of 2021 the Company participated in the 2021 round of the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) which created much needed funding to qualifying small businesses and organizations.  We are proud to say that during the quarter we assisted with over $142 million of PPP loans - $47 million processed, closed and funded by the Bank, and another $95 million referred directly to a third party for processing and funding.  The Company plans to sell the $46 million of loans in the second quarter to the same third party, who is extremely proficient in the servicing and forgiveness processes for PPP loans.

 

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The following tables summarize specified financial measures for the periods shown.

 

March 2021 Quarter Compared to Prior Year Quarter

  

 

 

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March 2021 Quarter Compared to Linked Quarter

 

The Company’s near-term priorities include:

 

Other select highlights for the quarter included:

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SUPPLEMENTAL QUARTERLY DETAILS:

 

Wealth Management Business

In the March 2021 quarter, the Bank’s wealth management business generated $12.13 million in fee income, compared to $9.96 million for the March 2020 quarter, and $10.79 million for the December 2020 quarter.

The market value of the Company’s AUM/AUA increased from $8.8 billion at December 31, 2020 to $9.4 billion at March 31, 2021.

In the quarter ended March 31, 2021 the Company successfully integrated the previously announced teams from Lucas and Noyes which combined added approximately $400 million in AUM/AUA during the fourth quarter of 2020.

John P. Babcock, President of the Peapack Private Wealth Management division, said, “2021 showed continued strong new business, new client acquisition and client retention. We ended 2020 with a very strong Q4 and this continued into Q1 2021 with gross inflows of over $250 million.” Babcock went on to note, “We continue to look to grow our wealth business organically and through selective acquisition.  At year-end 2020, we combined two of our acquired RIAs – Lassus Wherley Associates and Point View Wealth Management into the Peapack Private bank entity as well as on-boarded two lift outs in Morristown and Red Bank NJ.  We continue to make significant progress on our infrastructure consolidation including launching our new trading platform and a new CRM system, as well as adding more resources to our financial planning team.”

Loans / Commercial Banking

Total loans of $4.44 billion at March 31, 2021 (including PPP loans of $233 million, of which $46 million are held for sale) increased $36 million from $4.40 billion at December 31, 2020. Excluding net PPP loan growth during the March 2021 quarter, loan balances were relatively flat to year-end. Loan origination levels for the March 2021 quarter were approximately $330 million (excluding PPP loans), but paydown and payoff activity remains robust.

Total C&I loans (including the PPP loans) at March 31, 2021 were $1.98 billion or 45% of the total loan portfolio. While C&I origination levels have been strong, as noted just above, paydown and payoff activity has also been robust, including paydowns of several large lines of credit, as well as the Company’s workout and asset recovery efforts, including the workout and recovery of several nonaccrual and/or classified credits in 2021.

Mr. Kennedy noted, “Our commercial loan (C&I, Equipment Finance and CRE/Multifamily) pipelines are strong going into the second quarter, standing at approximately $350 million with likelihood of closing during the second quarter of 2021.”

Mr. Kennedy also noted, “As I have mentioned in the past, our Corporate Advisory business, which gives us the capability to engage in high level strategic debt, capital and valuation analysis, enables us to provide a unique boutique level of service, giving us a competitive advantage over many of our peers. Our Corporate Advisory pipelines are also strong.”

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The Company maintains a well-diversified loan portfolio, as noted in the Q1 2021 Investor Update (and Supplemental Financial Information).

Funding / Liquidity / Interest Rate Risk Management

The Company actively manages its deposit base to reduce reliance on wholesale sourced deposits, volatility, and/or operational risk.  Total deposits at March 31, 2021 were $4.94 billion reflecting an increase of $504 million when compared to $4.44 billion at March 31, 2020 and an increase of $126 million from $4.82 billion at December 31, 2020. Compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2020, noninterest bearing demand deposits increased $328 million and interest-bearing demand increased $307 million, while brokered deposits declined $70 million, and higher costing CDs declined $184 million.  Mr. Kennedy noted, “Our noninterest bearing deposits comprise 19% of our customer deposits, and only 17% of our total deposits are not covered by FDIC insurance; both statistics reinforce the “core” nature of our deposit base.”

For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, the Company’s balance sheet liquidity (investments, interest-earning deposits and cash) totaled $1.4 billion (or 23% of assets).  In addition to the $1.4 billion of balance sheet liquidity, the Company also had approximately $1.8 billion of secured funding available from the Federal Home Loan Bank. Additionally, the Company had $990 million of secured funding available from the Federal Reserve Discount Window.

Mr. Kennedy noted, “As a commercial bank, a large portion of our loans reprice when the Fed changes rates. The 150-basis point reduction in target Fed Funds near the end of the first quarter of 2020 reduced the Company’s yield earned on assets. However, we were able to and we continue to strategically reprice our deposits over time to offset much of that decline. Further, when interest rates rise, we expect that our net interest income will improve. Our current modeling indicates that net interest income would improve 6.3% with an immediate 100 basis points rise in rates.”

Net Interest Income (NII)/Net Interest Margin (NIM)

As shown above, the Company’s reported NIM increased 3 basis points compared to the linked quarter. The Bank strategically lowered its cost of deposits by 8 basis points and generated an additional $291,000 of prepayment premiums compared to the linked quarter. These positives were partially offset by a reduced yield on loans (decline of 4 basis points) and the full 90-day impact from the mid-December 2020 $100 million, 3.5% subordinated debt issuance.  

 

Future net interest income and net interest margin should benefit from the following:

 

 

 

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Income from Capital Markets Activities

Noninterest income from Capital Markets activities (the SBA lending and sale program, mortgage banking activity, corporate advisory activity and loan level back-to-back swap activities) totaled $3.57 million for the March 2021 quarter compared to $1.90 million for the December 2020 quarter and $2.84 million for the March 2020 quarter.  The March 2021 quarter results were driven by a $1.45 million gain on sale of SBA loans, which was benefitted by certain changes to SBA lending requirements. The March 2021 and December 2020 quarters reflected increased mortgage banking activity due to greater refinance activity in the low rate environment. During March 2021, the Company also recorded $1.1 million of corporate advisory fee income.  This included the Company’s first major corporate advisory/investment banking event. These transactions tend to be larger and take longer to complete. As noted previously, the pipeline of such business is fairly robust. The March 2021 quarter included no income from loan level, back-to-back swap activities, as there has been, and will continue to be, minimal activity for such in the current environment. The March 2020 quarter included $1.4 million of such income.

Other Noninterest Income (other than Wealth Management fee income and Income from Capital Markets Activities)

The March 2021 quarter included approximately $300,000 of additional Bank Owned life Insurance income, compared to prior quarters, due to receipt of life insurance proceeds. Such proceeds were nontaxable. The 2021 quarter also included a $282,000 gain on sale of $8 million of loans that had some past payment issues and were classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2020. Partially offsetting these positives, the Company recorded a $265,000 securities loss related to the valuation of certain community investment equity securities.  

Operating Expenses

The Company’s total operating expenses were $31.59 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, compared to $39.25 million for the December 2020 quarter and $28.24 million for the March 2020 quarter. The March 2021 quarter included $1.5 million of severance expense related to certain staff reorganization within several areas of the Bank, as well as a full quarter’s worth of expense related to Lucas and Noyes (approximately $400,000). The December 2020 quarter included the prepayment of FHLB advances ($4.8 million), a valuation allowance on a loan held for sale ($4.4 million) and consolidation of two private banking offices ($210,000).  

Mr. Kennedy noted, “While we continue to manage expenses closely and prudently, we will invest in digital enhancements to improve the client experience and grow and expand our core wealth management and commercial banking businesses, including lift-outs, strategic hires, and wealth M&A.”

Income Taxes

 

The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was 25.94%, as compared to 33.29% for the December 2020 quarter and a tax benefit in the quarter ended March 31, 2020. The March 31, 2021 benefitted from life insurance proceeds that were not taxable and from the vesting of restricted stock at prices higher than grant prices. A tax return to book adjustment recorded in the December 2020 quarter, coupled with reduced pretax income in the that quarter, increased the December 2020 effective tax rate by approximately 5%.    

 

During the first quarter of 2020, the Company recorded a $3.34 million tax benefit, principally due to a $3.2 million Federal income tax benefit that resulted from a tax NOL carryback. The Company had a $23 million operating loss for tax purposes in 2018 (when the Federal tax rate was 21%) resulting from accelerated tax depreciation. Under the CARES Act, the Company was allowed to carry this NOL back to a period when the Federal tax rate was 35%, generating a permanent tax benefit.  

 

Asset Quality / Provision for Loan and Lease Losses

 

For further details, see the Q1 2021 Investor Update (and Supplemental Financial Information).

Nonperforming assets at March 31, 2021 (which does not include troubled debt restructured loans that are performing in accordance with their terms) were $11.8 million, or 0.20% of total assets, up slightly from $11.5 million, or 0.19% of total assets, at December 31, 2020 and down significantly from $29.4 million, or 0.50% of total assets, at March 31, 2020.  Total loans past due 30 through 89 days and still accruing declined to $1.6 million at March 31,

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2021, from $5.1 million at December 31, 2020 and $8.3 million at March 31, 2020.  During the latter half of 2020 and first quarter of 2021, the Company’s asset recovery and workout efforts reduced nonperforming and classified assets.    

For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, the Company’s provision for loan and lease losses was $225,000 compared to $2.35 million for the December 2020 quarter and $20.00 million for the March 2020 quarter. The decreased provision for loan and lease losses in the 2021 quarter when compared to the 2020 quarters reflect the reduced qualitative loss factors when calculating the allowance for loan losses as loan deferrals entered into during the COVID-19 pandemic have come down significantly from prior year (declined from $914 million at June 30, 2020 to $43 million at March 31, 2021). The Company’s provision for loan and lease losses (and its allowance for loan and lease losses) also reflect, among other things, the Company’s assessment of asset quality metrics, net charge-offs/recoveries, and the composition of the loan portfolio.

At March 31, 2021, the allowance for loan and lease losses was $67.54 million (1.52% of total loans), compared to $67.31 million at December 31, 2020 (1.53% of total loans), and $63.78 million at March 31, 2020 (1.44% of total loans).  The Company has elected to take additional time to adopt CECL and will implement effective January 1, 2022.

Capital

The Company’s capital position during the March 2021 quarter was benefitted by net income of $13.18 million which was offset by the purchase of shares through the Company’s stock repurchase program.  The Company purchased 158,033 shares at an average price of $27.71 for a total cost of $4.4 million.  Capital was also impacted by an increase in the unrealized loss on our securities of $13.4 million during the March 2021 quarter, as medium-term market interest rates rose during the quarter impacting the market value of securities.

The Company’s and Bank’s capital ratios at March 31, 2021 all remain strong.  Such ratios remain well above regulatory well capitalized standards.

As previously announced, in the fourth quarter of 2020 the Company successfully completed a private placement of $100 million in fixed-to floating rate subordinated notes due 2030 at a rate of 3.5%. Such funds benefitted the Company’s Regulatory Tier 2 Capital. The proceeds raised will be used for general corporate purposes, which will include stock repurchases and could potentially include redemption of the Company’s existing 6% subordinated debt and acquisitions of wealth management firms.

The Company employs quarterly capital stress testing run under multiple scenarios, including a no growth, severely adverse case. In such case as of December 31, 2020, the Bank remains well capitalized over a two-year stress period. With a Pandemic stress overlay on this case, the Bank still remains well capitalized over the two-year stress period. For further details, see the Q1 2021 Investor Update (and Supplemental Financial Information).

As previously announced, on April 27, 2021, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.05 per share payable on May 25, 2021 to shareholders of record on May 11, 2021.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation is a New Jersey bank holding company with total assets of $6.0 billion and assets under management/administration of $9.4 billion as of March 31, 2021.  Founded in 1921, Peapack-Gladstone Bank is a commercial bank that provides innovative wealth management, commercial and retail solutions, including residential lending and online platforms, to businesses and consumers.  Peapack Private, the bank’s wealth management division, offers comprehensive financial, tax, fiduciary and investment advice and solutions, to individuals, families, privately-held businesses, family offices and not-for-profit organizations, which help them to establish, maintain and expand their legacy.  Together, Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Peapack Private offer an unparalleled commitment to client service.  Visit www.pgbank.com and www.peapackprivate.com for more information.

The foregoing may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements are not historical facts and include expressions about management’s confidence and strategies and management’s expectations about new and existing programs and products, investments, relationships, opportunities and market conditions.  These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “expect,” “look,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “may” or similar statements or variations of such terms.  

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Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements.  Factors that may cause results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

 

Further, given its ongoing and dynamic nature, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business. The extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, including when the coronavirus can be controlled and abated and when and whether the gradual reopening of businesses will result in a meaningful increase in economic activity. As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related adverse local and national economic consequences, we could be subject to any of the following risks, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations:

 

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A discussion of these and other factors that could affect our results is included in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.  We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company’s expectations.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

(Tables to follow)

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

(Dollars in Thousands, except share data)

(Unaudited)

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CONDITION

(Dollars in Thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA

(Dollars in Thousands)

(Unaudited)

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA

(Dollars in Thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

LOANS CLOSED

(Dollars in Thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET

UNAUDITED

THREE MONTHS ENDED

(Tax-Equivalent Basis, Dollars in Thousands)

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET

UNAUDITED

THREE MONTHS ENDED

(Tax-Equivalent Basis, Dollars in Thousands)

 

 

 

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PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES RECONCILIATION

Tangible book value per share and tangible equity as a percentage of tangible assets at period end are non-GAAP financial measures derived from GAAP-based amounts.  We calculate tangible equity and tangible assets by excluding the balance of intangible assets from shareholders’ equity and total assets, respectively.  We calculate tangible book value per share by dividing tangible equity by period end common shares outstanding, as compared to book value per common share, which we calculate by dividing shareholders’ equity by period end common shares outstanding.  We calculate tangible equity as a percentage of tangible assets at period end by dividing tangible equity by tangible assets at period end.  We believe that this is consistent with the treatment by bank regulatory agencies, which exclude intangible assets from the calculation of risk-based capital ratios.

The efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP measure of expense control relative to recurring revenue.  We calculate the efficiency ratio by dividing total noninterest expenses, excluding ORE provision, as determined under GAAP, by net interest income and total noninterest income as determined under GAAP, but excluding net gains/(losses) on loans held for sale at lower of cost or fair value and excluding net gains on securities from this calculation, which we refer to below as recurring revenue.  We believe that this provides one reasonable measure of core expenses relative to core revenue.

We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide information that is important to investors and that is useful in understanding our financial position, results and ratios.  Our management internally assesses our performance based, in part, on these measures.  However, these non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental and are not a substitute for an analysis based on GAAP measures.  As other companies may use different calculations for these measures, this presentation may not be comparable to other similarly titles measures reported by other companies.  A reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures of tangible common equity, tangible book value per share and efficiency ratio to the underlying GAAP numbers is set forth below.

Non-GAAP Financial Reconciliation

(Dollars in thousands, except share data)

 

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